PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has unveiled the first 5G-powered gaming hub in the Philippines by deploying Smart 5G at the Gariath Concepts esports venue in Quezon City, with peak speeds hitting 1 Gbps.
To mark this milestone, Smart gathered esports athletes for the country’s first mobile phone vs PC crossplay exhibition match via cloud gaming. PLDT-Smart Omega athletes, armed with Smart 5G-certified handsets, went toe-to-toe with players from Team LuponWxC using their gaming PCs and played a DoTA 2 match via cloud gaming. PLDT-Smart Omega clinched a landslide victory with a score of 34-6.
Cloud gaming allows players to run games on cloud servers instead of local devices, making it possible for users to play any game on any device with a screen - without the need for a gaming console or desktop computer - as long as they have an internet connection.
“We kicked off this year with the country’s first 5G-powered Mobile Legends match last February. Now, we are upping the ante by powering Gariath Concepts to become the country's first 5G-powered gaming hub. Gaming is at the forefront of technology and we believe 5G will pave the way for innovative platforms and exciting products that will dramatically enhance the experience of gamers,” said Jane Basas, senior vice president and head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.
“Our goal is to unlock the many benefits of 5G and make these available to Filipinos. The 5G future is closer than we think as we continue to deploy our 5G network, and make available Smart 5G-certified handsets very soon,” Basas added. Watch the highlights of the groundbreaking crossplay exhibition match between PLDT-Smart Omega and Team LuponWxC by following Smart’s official Facebook account.